The present disclosure relates generally to a method for collecting and distributing clinical data for data mining and in particular, to a method for collecting and distributing coded clinical data that has been created in different hospitals using different clinical data codes and formats.
Hospitals typically utilize computer systems to manage the various departments within the hospital. Data about each patient is collected by a variety of computer systems. For example, a patient may be admitted to the hospital for a Transthoracic Echo (TTE). Information about the patient (e.g., demographics and insurance) could be obtained by the hospital information system (HIS) and stored on a patient record. This information could then be passed to the cardiology department system (commonly known as the cardio vascular information system, or CVIS). Typically the CVIS is a product of one company, while the HIS is the product of another company. As a result, the database between the two will be different. Further, they will capture/retain and send different levels of granularity in the data. Once the patient information has been received by the CVIS, the patient can be scheduled for a TTE in the echo lab. Next, the TTE is performed by the sonographer. Images and measurements are taken and sent to the CVIS server. The reading physician (e.g., an echocardiographer) sits down at a review station and pulls the patient""s TTE study. The echocardiographer then begins to review the images and measurements and creates a complete medical report on the study. The medical report can then be coded as a structured report (SR) document including clinical data codes describing the contents of the report. When the echocardiographer completes the medical report, the report is sent to the CVIS server where it is stored and associated with the patient through patient identification data. This completed medical report with clinical data codes is an example of the kind of report that could be sent to a data repository for data mining.
The ability to create a medical record data repository containing medical data from more than one hospital for use in data mining faces several challenges. First, it is difficult to get consistent clinical data that can be compared across hospitals and within hospitals. For example, Doctor W may abbreviate; Doctor X may standardize his reports to capture only a particular set of information that he is interested in; Doctor Y may inflate his reports to includes massive amounts of data that may irrelevant to the given procedure; and Doctor Z may use software that only reports on some information that is searchable, while the rest of his report is unsearchable text. Another challenge affecting the ability to perform medical data mining has to do with obtaining the clinical data in a consistent fashion. For example, Hospital A may use software that records some information that is searchable, leaving the rest as unsearchable text; Hospital B my utilize dictation that produces difficult to search data; and Hospital C may use software that records the same information as the software used at Hospital A, but the labeling of the data collected is different such that a user of the data would have to interpret both labels to know what data has been recorded.
A further challenge faced in attempting to create a common medical data repository for use in data mining is the difficulty in collecting the clinical data to be entered into the repository. Some data mining software defines specific, in-depth data to be collected but this can require users to re-enter the same data that has already been reported on. This can be too cumbersome and lengthy for the physician, technician or nurse to use. Even if the users are willing to re-enter some of the data, only a subset of the data can be obtained through this process.
One aspect of the invention is a method for collecting and distributing clinical data for data mining. The method comprises selecting a local report for collection, where the local report is a structured reporting (SR) object and includes a local clinical code, patient identification data and report collections status data. The local report is sanitized by removing the patient identification data. The local report collection status is updated to reflect the selecting. The local report is mapped to a common format report and the mapping includes: accessing a knowledge base that includes the local clinical code and a corresponding common format clinical code; and replacing the local clinical code with the corresponding common format code. The common format report is then transmitted to a data mining host system that includes a data repository.
Another aspect of the invention is a method for collecting and distributing clinical data for data mining. The method comprises receiving a common format report at a data mining host system, where the common format report is an SR object and includes clinical coded medical data. The data mining host system includes a data repository. The contents of the common format report are mapped to fields in the data repository using an XML schema. The contents of the common format report are added to the data repository responsive to the mapping.
Another aspect of the invention is a system for collecting and distributing clinical data for data mining. The system comprises a network and a hospital computer system in communication with the network. The hospital computer system includes software to implement a method. The method comprises selecting a local report located on the hospital computer system for collection, where the local report is an SR object and includes a local clinical code, patient identification data and report collections status data. The local report is sanitized by removing the patient identification data. The local report collection status is updated to reflect the selecting. The local report is mapped to a common format report and the mapping includes: accessing a knowledge base located on the hospital computer system that includes the local clinical code and a corresponding common format clinical code; and replacing the local clinical code with the corresponding common format code. The common format report is then transmitted to a data mining host system that includes a data repository over the network.
A further aspect of the invention is a system for collecting and distributing clinical data for data mining. The system comprises a network and a storage device including a data repository. The system also comprises a data mining host system in communication with the network and the storage device. The data mining host system include software to implement a method comprising receiving a common format report via the network at a data repository located on the storage device, where the common format report is an SR object and includes clinical coded medical data. The contents of the common format report are mapped to fields in the data repository using an XML schema. The contents of the common format report are added to the data repository responsive to the mapping.
A further aspect of the invention is a computer program product for collecting and distributing clinical data for data mining. The computer program product comprises a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for implementing a method. The method comprises selecting a local report for collection, where the local report is an SR object and includes a local clinical code, patient identification data and report collections status data. The local report is sanitized by removing the patient identification data. The local report collection status is updated to reflect the selecting. The local report is mapped to a common format report and the mapping includes: accessing a knowledge base that includes the local clinical code and a corresponding common format clinical code; and replacing the local clinical code with the corresponding common format code. The common format report is then transmitted to a data mining host system that includes a data repository.
Further aspects of the invention are disclosed herein. The above discussed and other features and advantages of the present invention will be appreciated and understood by those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and drawings.